Smart Wiki

WikiWithProgrammableContent aka MetaWiki

I choose a shorter name, because I think that's the natural next step in the evolution of Wiki and this needs a handy reference.

I don't say that in a non smart Wiki there are no smart people ;-).

Below is a list of this new breed of Wikis, where each user can contribute programs, readily executed/interpreted within the respective WikiEngine or at least the browser client.

-- FridemarPache


Historical note: There was a time when "Smart Terminals" took over the role of "Dumb Terminals". Smart was a synonym for programmable. -- fp


I was skeptical of this idea when it first surfaced. In the meantime, I've watched several sites attempt programmable content, only to fall prey to cross-site scripting attacks. Allowing "smart" content in the form of JavaScript is a dumb idea. -- DaveSmith

Perhaps a Wiki with calculating power could be an intermediary compromise, inspired by http://members.aol.com/johnp71/javastat.html. -- fp

Yeah, we've already been talking about this. You need a sandboxed language.


[Could someone please AnswerMe?] I'm sure it's just my lack of imagination, but what can you see this being used for? Clearly you need the operation of the wiki itself to be protected from the scripts/programs, so what is it that the programs will be doing?

Imagination is somewhat necessary, certainly. I can imagine doing the following things with a SmartWiki:

The above require an (approximately) growing degree of programming capability for individual pages. One can also allow for a SmartWiki with a RuntimeUpgradeableCore (i.e. the ability to upgrade the WikiEngine from within the Wiki) and similar features.


A StructuredWiki? needs some sort of scripting to control how records are searched, presented, and validated.

What sort of 'control' are you envisioning? Sorry, I may be confusing your words but 'control', to me, sounds like a safety or security issue... properties that are emergent in nature and that should not be entrusted to WikiNature scripts. In any Wiki, I would imagine that content will necessarily be navigable by following links between WikiPages, and that external services will be able to provide ad-hoc search solutions. If you mean to say that the scripts should have reflective access to the Wiki such that they may be used to provide embedded ad-hoc search, presentation, and vetting-on-edit features, then I'm inclined to agree.


All useful wikis contain SmartFeatures which are programmed to perform an action when called upon by the user in this wiki:

Safe SmartWikis will utilize similar techniques for additional features via controls which are programmed on the server side. They could include buttons, combo boxes, radio buttons, check boxes, additional text boxes, audio and video players, and many other features.

--DonaldNoyes


See also ReflectiveWiki LukesProgrammableWiki NextGenerationWiki


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